It was a BET takeover in Los Angeles this weekend!
Ahead of the BET Awards on Sunday (June 25), the network celebrated all things Black culture by opening the House of BET at Goya Studios in the heart of Hollywood with exhibitions, activations and the world premiere of the BET+ Original Series Average Joe on Thursday (June 22).
Inspired by the life of creator Robb Cullen, Average Joe is a darkly comedic, intense one-hour drama set in “The Hill” district of Pittsburgh. Blue-collar plumber, Joe Washington (Deon Cole), discovers his recently deceased father lived a secret, second life and stole millions of dollars from dangerous people just before he died.
Now those people think Joe knows where it is. A bloody and violent confrontation triggers a chain of events that force Joe and his close-knit circle of family and friends out of their very average and mundane lives into a life-or-death race against time to find the truth and the millions.
The show stars Cole (Joe Washington), Tammy Townsend (Angela Washington), Michael Trucco (Benjamin), Cynthia Kaye McWilliams (Cathy Montgomery), Ashley Olivia Fisher (Jennifer Washington), Nikita Kirillov (Molotov) and Amber Crawford (Ekaterina) amongst others, and the Celeb Secrets team attended the red carpet premiere to learn more about the series straight from its stars.
When asked about the different themes the show touches on, Kirillov revealed that family is an important topic. “I’m an immigrant that came over to the states when I was six years old and this showed talks a lot about that,” he shared with CS reporter Lupe LLerenas.
“I think the show it really embodies family and protection and standing up for the family not just like necessarily blood relatives, but I think the characters on the show that are friends become family as well,” he added. “I think Molotov my character, Deon Coles’ character, Joe would do anything for his [family].”
In the first episode of Average Joe, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams’s character, Cathy, leaves an event early to go home and watch the investigation channel. We asked some of the cast members what show they would leave an event early and their answers might surprise you.
“Oh, well that’s an easy answer. This one,” said Cynthia. “What you talking about… I’m leaving early to watch ‘Average Joe.'”
As for Nikita, he shared the same thoughts as his costar.
“Probably ;Average Joe;, honestly,” he said without hesitation. “Not to toot this show’s horn, but I’ve read a lot of scripts [in the past] and then I read this one… the more I read it, the more I dove into it. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of it. All the cast members have been fantastic and phenomenal.”
For more on what you can expect from Average Joe, watch our full interview with the cast below.
Don’t forget to stream new episodes of Average Joe every Monday night beginning TODAY, June 26th on BET+ here.
